


Flowers in Your Hair

by WeekendWriter



Series: Pacific Drabbles [5]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - No Kaiju, College, Except By Flower, Lack of Communication, M/M, Misunderstandings, Shenanigans, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 03:13:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9365390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeekendWriter/pseuds/WeekendWriter
Summary: Raleigh has a perfectly normal and enjoyable life working in a florist shop until one day a wild Australian barges into his shop and demands flowers that don't exactly fit the usual bill.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this one for a while from the prompt 'Person A owns a flower shop and person B comes storming in one day, slaps 20 bucks on the counter and says “How do I passive-aggressively say fuck you in flower?”' I hope you guys enjoy! As always, kudos / comments are always appreciated or you can stop by and say hi on [Tumblr](http://weekend-writer.tumblr.com/)  
> 

Tuesdays were the most relaxing days at the florists’ shop. They were the days that just about nobody walked in the door. Special occasions like Valentine’s Day were an exception although Raleigh had avoided that particular hell so far. The nights allowed for more study time than most jobs (not that he’d ever admit to slacking off at work). Yancy harped on him all the time for skipping study time for work even if he did understand the reasoning. ‘Broke’ was something they hadn’t described themselves as maybe a handful of months out of the past considerable amount of years. Yancy was finally back at school on scholarship to finish his culinary degree after dropping out years earlier to support his younger brother and Raleigh was now dangerously close to finishing his master’s degree. Provided he managed to balance his work and study time, that is. 

So far his Tuesdays consisted of organizing bouquets early for brides that had been ordered in advance or studying idly until was time to close up shop for the night. 

It was the longest job he’d managed to hold down since they were teenagers. Raleigh knew by now what his regular customers wanted and had fallen into an easy pattern as the days passed, so he was completely shocked when a prickly and ginger-haired newcomer slammed his hand on the counter during a slow Tuesday afternoon and demanded, “How do I passive-aggressively say ‘fuck you’ in flower?”

“Consider something manlier than a flower?” The quick-witted response was clearly not what the guy had expected to hear; he gaped back until Raleigh changed his response. “Uh… Well, geraniums stand for stupidity, foxglove usually means insincerity, meadowsweet is for uselessness, yellow carnations I think are for disappointment, and orange lilies hatred. So I guess those could be combined to mean ‘fuck you’ if you really are stuck on a bouquet?”

The guy frowned. Raleigh noted the expression cut dimples into in his cheeks as he did so. Clearly the guy wasn’t going out on a date or anything unless this was the asshole’s (Australian asshole, if the accent was anything to go by) way of going about flirting. Judging by what he’d opened with after bursting into the store, Raleigh shouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. The brooding glare with which this new customer considered the arrangement was actually somewhat alluring with the strong not-quite-green eyes and strong jaw tensed in thought. 

Yancy was going to have a field day; handsome, loud, and douchy was apparently his trifecta as his brother had been kind enough to point out on many occasions. After the first sentence out of his mouth (he really needed to take a look at replacing that filter) and his less-than-helpful string of suggested flowers, Raleigh had expected the guy to storm off in what was probably a trademark huff. 

That attitude. Who the hell walked into a shop and pushed around the only worker? This guy might be used to getting his way with things by strong-arming those around him into it (if the dimples failed to work for him, that is) and that thought rubbed him the wrong way. Sue him, he had a problem with arrogance when it wasn’t his own or his brother’s. 

This was an opportunity. The Australian clearly couldn’t tell a rose from his ass. If the person this guy wanted to bring these flowers to understood what they meant it would make his endeavor more amusing. It would be a crime any other occasion to pull such a delicacy from the stock but Raleigh slid a few Gardenia’s along with some Queen Anne's Lace and, for good measure, went for some Larkspur to weave between the Gardenia’s. Secret love, delicate feminity, and fickleness would leave the receiver with quite a laugh if they understood the intended meaning.

None of that seemed to faze the guy as he waved a large hand and settled broad forearms on the counter to wait while Raleigh prepared the bouquet. He was apparently not kidding at his insistence at needing the bouquet immediately and acutely observed Raleigh’s quick hands on the ribbons.

“Alright, that should be fine,” the ginger customer muttered when Raleigh presented him with the fruits of his labor. The changeable eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re sure there’s nothing that more directly says, ‘fuck you’?”

Raleigh barked out a laugh since that was hardly the message this flower blend was going to send. More likely it would read ‘neighborhood florist has quite a sense of humor’. “Sorry man, but no. Not really in the business of that here.”

Handsome-ginger guy, as he should be called, took the flowers with a grumble and produced two bills. Raleigh made change for the payment and wished he could come up with something to keep the conversation going without sounding like the total loser he probably was and eventually admitted defeat to hand the kid the change.

“Enjoy your ‘fuck you’,” Raleigh called to the man’s back. He wished he could be there to witness the exchange between the grumpy Australian and his… whoever he wanted to give those flowers to. Probably a relative or a roommate or something. Who knew he’d live to see the day that a passive-aggressive sticky note would no longer work. Raleigh grinned to himself and wiped down the counters to clear the evidence of his cunning.

 

 

The wild Australian that interrupted his day couldn’t possibly be further from his mind the second he opens the apartment door. The smell of whatever-the-fuck Yancy has concocted hit him before he even has a chance to let the door fall shut and he mentally cursed himself for letting some of that magical scent escape out the front. 

“Jesus, Yance. You better let me taste it.”

The sound of pots and pans rattled in response before his brother called from the kitchen, “You might wanna rethink that sentence if you want a chance at dinner. Sounded like an exceptionally shitty porno right there, kiddo.”

Raleigh felt a grin spreading as he ditched his backpack and boots. Yancy’s follow-up, “And kid, don’t leave your damn shoes in the middle of the hallway this time!” went unheeded as he floated to the kitchen on the insanely good smell of foodstuffs. Last week Yancy had had a good class that resulted in something Raleigh considered straight heaven based on smell alone. Because the bastard hadn’t let him sample it. Sure, assignments for class were important. So were hungry little brothers. 

“Yes, mom,” he shot back. The welcome-home ceremony was a familiar dance; a wrong phrase here, some well-deserved snark there, followed by some phenomenal food. While he and Yancy were far from being at a point in their lives where they were well-off, what they had made here was more of a home than they’d had in years. Raleigh hadn’t felt the tug of unease or the burn of hunger in a while. His reach for the tender fall-off-the-bone chicken that was sitting in a pan on the stove was immediately smacked away by the elder Becket’s sharp reflexes and a wooden spoon. “Ow, dammit Yance! I need that hand.”

“Yeah, sorry. Wouldn’t wanna hurt your boyfriend there.”

“Right. Like you’re so busy swimming in tail, old man,” Raleigh snorted. He shook his hand ruefully and did his best to put on the puppy eyes. Asshole older brother or not, not even Yance could resist the soft baby blues. 

Sure enough, the second Yancy caught sight he raised a hand like he was shielding his eyes from the sun. “Damn, kid, put those away. It’s just homework, not an assignment. And as much as I’d love to watch you flail on couch in pain later because your impatient ass got food poisoning from undercooked food, you’re gonna have to wait until everything is done.”

Raleigh definitely wasn’t pouting. But good food tended to call for that even from a grown man. It morphed quickly into a grin as he snickered, “Aw, Yancy, you do care.” The older Becket rolled his eyes dramatically so Raleigh got even more ridiculous with the banter. “You care so much and it just touches me inside. Touches me so deeply.”

Yancy’s head popped back out from the cabinet he was searching through, his deadpan expression comical. “If I let you get food poisoning will you stop coming onto me like a YA novel character?” He waited until after Raleigh had dissolved into snorts of laughter to continue, “What’s got you in such a good mood today?”

Raleigh’s face fell quicker than he wanted. “No idea what you mean, big bro.”

“Seriously. Two days ago you were bitching about some difficult class with a shit professor and today you’re back to your cheeky little self. Seems to me like—” The sentence was interrupted by Yancy’s sudden groan and slammed his head into the cabinet door. “Jesus Christ. You met someone didn’t you?”

The silence was more telling than any snark Raleigh could come up with.

“Shit, Raleigh, what’s his name? And on a scale of one to you when you went through that emo-teenage phase how much of a douchebag is he?”

“He’s not—” Raleigh paused, painfully aware of how much of a little brother he sounded like at the moment. “A customer came in today. He was hot, that’s all.”

Yancy turned blue eyes that almost matched his own to him after he’d finished the final touches on the meal. “That’s not it. With you that’s never it. What did you do?”

“Me?” Raleigh over-exaggerated his tone again and put a hand to his chest in mock hurt. “I am a sweet summer child. I am the perfect younger brother.”

“That’s it, you’re definitely not trying this– for fuck’s sake, _put the puppy eyes away_!” Yancy made quick work of setting the meal on the makeshift kitchen table that Raleigh had crafted on a free weekend and they settled into the dinnertime routine. He, of course, plated his little brother’s meal before reaching for his own clean plate. “But seriously. I’m betting it was something equally as douchy.”

Grinning at the thought of what he hoped happened during the Australian Jerk’s flower exchange, Raleigh finally relented. “So this guy comes into the store and, I shit you not, _demands_ something that ‘passive aggressively says fuck you in flower’.” 

A sharp cough sounded as Yancy’s laugh resulted in him inhaling his first bite. Which was a damn shame Raleigh figured as he took his own bite of absolute bliss. Whatever this school was teaching Yancy to put on chicken he was one hundred percent okay with. 

“Fuck you? In flower?” Yancy coughed out once he finally recovered. “Who the hell is this guy?”

Raleigh shrugged, not wanting to waste time on words when there was delicious food to be eaten. “Some kid. Probably in college, too.”

“Aw hell, Rals, why do you always—”

“‘Go for the young and handsome and douchy’,” Raleigh quoted from memory. “I can’t help it.”

Yancy pointed his fork at him in an accusatory manner. “Should have smacked you on the nose with a newspaper when it first started.”

“Yeah, or stopped feeding me.” 

“You know kid, I still could– aw, shit, there’s the eyes again. If you’re gonna keep doing that, go eat in your room.”

“I could always shit on the floor. Make you feel like a real puppy owner.”

“Kid, I will shove it right back up your ass sideways so you know for sure it tastes just as good coming out as it does going in.”

The two broke into easy laughter. Yeah, Yancy could be an asshole. But weren’t older brothers supposed to be? Besides, after all his older brother had done for him Raleigh figured Yancy had the right to give him a hard time. Things were better than they’d ever been and Raleigh knew it was because of Yancy. It was always because of Yancy.

His older brother’s voice pulled him out of the thought. “So, what’d you tell him?”

Raleigh grunted around a particularly large mouthful. “Gave him flowers that meant secret love, delicate feminity, and fickleness instead. Thought I’d give the receiver something to laugh about considering how much of a dick the guy was.”

Yancy practically howled with laugher. Raleigh paused to take the sight in. It wasn’t often his brother looked this carefree what with how much he worried about finances and his school and Raleigh’s school. Moment like these were what made everything they’d been through worth it.

“Oh man. If that person knows what those flowers mean...” Yancy shook his head. “You do realize that if they tell the guy he’s gonna come gunning straight back for you?”

Shit. He hadn’t counted on the guy finding out about his secret plot. But even if the jerk came back to the store angry it meant he was coming back at all. Sure, it was a little pathetic but Raleigh was looking forward to the challenge. “That’s the plan, old man.”

“Well, I hope you enjoyed your last meal.” Yancy stood and carried his empty plate to the sink.

Raleigh shrugged. “Eh. It was just okay. Chef could probably stand to take a few lessons, though.” He laughed and attempted to duck as Yancy dove for him, fists raised and ready to mash into his hair. 

“You little shit!”

 

 

He was half-way through a particularly tough chapter, highlighter uncapped and held in his mouth, when the bell tied around the front door rang. Raleigh looked up and scratched what he was sure was particularly spectacular bedhead at this point as he noticed no one walking through said door. Huh. He stood and peered over the counter. 

A small set of beady black eyes stared back up at him from a wrinkly, stout head. Huh. The accompanying smile was warm and inviting, if a little slobbery. Raleigh grinned. Not a paying customer but definitely one worth his time. He made his way around the counter to approach the panting bulldog. “Hey handsome–”

His greeting was cut short as something large and bulky slammed into his chest. It wasn’t hard enough to knock him on his ass but it was enough to force him a few steps back.

“The fuck–”

Yesterday’s Wild Australian was suddenly in his face. “You got some fucking nerve, mate.”

Raleigh straightened enough to look into the bright and angry eyes. Jesus. The kid was even more handsome up close. Stubble dusted the strong jaw; when longer it was probably just as ginger as his hair. “Excuse me?”

“I paid you for a legitimate service and you turned me into a fucking joke,” the guy spat.

Ah. So the receiver from yesterday did in fact know their flower meanings. Raleigh barely suppressed a smirk although the brain-to-mouth filter apparently still hadn’t been fixed. “Sounds like your own fault if you think message-by-flower is a legitimate service.”

The guy’s jaw actually dropped. Like he was honestly startled by Raleigh’s less-than-sympathetic response. Had a set of straight nicely white teeth, too. He sputtered a bit before finally getting out a blustered, “Fuck you!”

Raleigh’s mouth twitched up into a smirk. Verbal jousting with Yancy was harder than this. “Want me to grab you some Rhododendron and a carnation?”

Another punch aimed his way dropped the smirk from his face as he dodged out of the way. He wasn’t as lucky the second time; the jerk was strong, if the hit to his solar plexus that had him gasping for breath was any indication. Guy was a brawler, then. Raleigh straightened and grabbed the guy’s arm to twist him up into a half-headlock.

“You’re really gonna start a fight in a flower shop?” Raleigh coughed out as the guy struggled. He got no response, no verbal one anyway, so he tried again. “Seriously. Who even tries to tell someone to fuck off with a bouquet?”

“I thought she’d get the message if it came from a more strategic avenue. Asshole.” Even the expletive at the end couldn’t diminish the fact that Raleigh was impressed. Guy was smart, it seemed. “Until you changed the goddamn message on me.”

 _She_. So the handsome jerk was interested in women. Well, maybe not this particular woman but. Not to say that he couldn’t go both ways. A sudden jerking motion from the guy in his grasp reminded him that this wasn’t the time to worry about that issue. 

“Listen.” Raleigh finally broke. “I really can’t afford you breaking shit. I need this job. Will you stop being a literal bull in a china shop if I pay you back for the flowers?”

The Australian grunted. Raleigh took it as enough of an affirmation to release his grip. He still took a step back as a precaution but the angry customer simply called the bulldog closer and crossed his arms. 

“Well, mate? Not getting any fucking younger waiting for my money.”

Raleigh stood back behind the counter and made a big show of opening the register. Once he felt like he’d wasted enough of the kid’s time, he sighed heavily. “Oh. Well, I can’t do that exactly.”

The Aussie was back in his face in a heartbeat. “Come fucking again mate?”

 _Oh, how I’d like to_. He clamped down on the thought and instead flashed what Yancy called his trademark easy grin. “I can’t take any money out of the register. Owner’s policy. But I can give you a store credit?”

“D’you think I’m a blithering idiot?” Sharp, intelligent eyes that narrowed in his direction told Raleigh that no, the guy was far from that. Probably more intelligent than he could even begin to guess. 

“No. I think you’ve got the right idea wanting to use flowers to express things. Wouldn’t have figured based on your uh, _charming personality_ , but hey, everybody communicates differently. And as much as I did enjoy fucking with you I like what I do here and I like helping people.” The grin spread further as Raleigh leaned forward on the counter. Time to tread carefully. “What’s her name?”

“What?”

“Her name. You said you thought _she’d_ get the message. Who’s she?”

The glare didn’t falter until the guy finally grumbled, “Mako.”

Raleigh nodded slowly. “Well, if the is as good with flower meanings as I think, this should help you out.” He reached backward enough to pluck a few Daffodil, Hyacinth, and Gerbera. The yellows in the Daffodil and Daisy would complement each other nicely, and the Hyacinth would be pretty enough to look at even if she didn’t understand the meaning. One simple knot he tied with a flourish should do the trick. “Take these to her.”

His irritable customer eyed the flowers with obvious distrust. “And what do they say?”

Another flash of what Yancy considered his secret weapon; a mix of the dopey grin and slight puppy eyes. “Just trust me. You wanna get a leg up on the passive-aggressive front, this’ll help you out.”

They guy’s eyes, which Raleigh figured were probably stuck permanently narrowed, finally let up. “Fine.” He raised an accusatory finger and said, “But I swear to fuck, mate, if this is some more bullshit I’m gonna bring these flowers back and shove them so far up your ass you’ll be tasting stem for weeks.”

“Fine.” Raleigh held out the flowers with his left hand. And, because he couldn’t help himself, extended the right and said, “Raleigh.”

The guy snorted but accepted both. “Chuck. You’ll be seeing me again if these don’t work out,” he added with a predatory wink, before he whistled for the bulldog and headed out of the store.

 _Oh, I hope so_. 

Okay, so maybe he’d lied to the kid again. But if he had to guess, he’d say the two were in some kind of fight if he had wanted to passively-aggressively tell her to fuck off yesterday. He doubted Chuck wanted to cut ties with this girl, otherwise he wouldn’t have gone through the effort to try to send her a message through flowers. This bouquet made up of chivalry, playfulness, and cheerfulness would be just the thing to begin repairing whatever had caused the spottiness in the relationship under the assumption that the prickly ginger had been the one to start the fight (and Raleigh would bet a month of Yancy’s baking that he was). 

Either way, if Mako recognized the secret meaning behind this bouquet, maybe it’d be enough for her to rethink the fight. And if she didn’t, well, Raleigh had an eye for color and she’d at least appreciate the aesthetic of it. 

Win win. 

 

 

“Honey, I’m home!”

Raleigh grinned at the exasperated sigh his greeting pulled from the kitchen. He enjoyed the consistency of returning home every night from work and the permanent fixture that Yancy was in his life. And, of course, the good food that was (almost) always waiting for him. 

Today’s smell was more sweet and doughy in nature and Raleigh definitely did not bounce into the kitchen in anticipation to find his brother by the oven. The older blonde was covered from fingertip to elbow in flour and passed dough back and forth between his hands. The sight caused Raleigh’s face to fall.

“You have a baking assignment tonight?”

“Yep.” Yancy looked positively gleeful. “No food homework tonight. Sorry, kiddo.”

Damn. He’d hoped the good luck dealing with Chuck at the store today would have continued throughout the day but it seemed to have finally run out. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He wasn’t even embarrassed that the question came out as more of a whine. He’d been looking forward to a good meal after the day. “I coulda picked something up at the store on the way home.”

Calm blue eyes regarded him as Yancy worked the dough instead of replying. The older Becket finally set it down after a minute and reached over to pry the microwave open. “Don’t worry, brat. Think I wouldn’t take care of my baby bro before dealing with class?”

Inside the microwave sat a bowl covered with foil. Steam was still escaping around the edges. The smell of something beef-related instantly overtook the pastry smell.

“Oh, God _Yance_.”

Yancy scrunched his nose up and returned to the dough. “Kid, you really gotta cut that out. Someone’s gonna get the wrong impression.”

“Could be worse. Not like the time I came home to you beating meat instead of dough.”

“Har-har, asshole. Get some clean plates. I can take a break when this is in the oven.”

Raleigh did just that and carried the still-warm pot to the table. Despite how hungry he was and despite how good the bowl of whatever smelled, Raleigh waited with extreme patience for his brother to wash the remains of the flower off before dropping his frame into the chair opposite him. He wasn’t truly that much of an asshole; eating before Yancy would have made him seem ungrateful and he would never be ungrateful for all Yancy did. 

“Thanks, Yance.” Raleigh swallowed around the sudden lump in his throat. “I mean it.”

The elder Becket paused in the motion of pulling the foil off. “Aw, fuck, kid, what happened today? You always get fucking introspective and sappy… Out with it. Asshole Customer was back?”

Raleigh grinned at his brother’s words. Sure, he knew Yancy knew him well enough to tell why he was acting the way he was, but he also wished Yancy had been there to see the confused look on his face when he’d been assaulted by the Aussie while trying to pat a chubby bulldog. 

Not that he’d ever admit to Yancy that he’d been caught unprepared like that.

“Oh, yeah. He was back. The receiver definitely got my message loud and clear.”

Yancy’s laughter, the warm and sweet scent of pastries in the oven, the contentedness of sitting back after a full meal, all were swarming the air of the kitchen in ways that made Raleigh somehow even more grateful for all they had. Shit, he was really becoming a sap these days.

His older brother alternated between bites and conversation. “So what did you do?”

“Well, after he took a few swings at me–” Raleigh paused for dramatic effort, savoring a particularly heavenly bite, before he continued, “–I head-locked him and told him I could give him a store credit and sent him on his way with another bouquet.”

Yancy’s snickers only fueled his own laughter. “Oh, shit, how in the _hell_ did you get him to go for that? Videos next time, kid. What did this one say?”

Raleigh paused for real this time and contemplated his answer. “Well. He said the flowers were for a girl named Mako. So I sent him on his way with flowers meaning ‘chivalry, playfulness, and cheerfulness’ to make up for whatever he fucked up.”

Although he refused to look up, the sound of Yancy’s fork clattering to the plate was enough of a cue of his brother’s reaction.

“Aw, hell, Rals.”

The tone in his brother’s voice was even enough to put him off the delicious food in front of him. Raleigh poked at the tidbits on his plate with his fork and refused to meet Yancy’s gaze.

“Hey. Look at me, Raleigh.”

It wasn’t often Yancy used his full name. Raleigh raised his head enough to meet a similar pair of baby blues also colored with concern. 

“Don’t just… Don’t assume there’s anything going on with this girl, okay? He could just as easily be interested–”

“Yance, please, can we just… not?” Raleigh interrupted. “He’s probably not even into guys.”

“You don’t know that.” Yancy, ever the rational older brother, put into words what he hadn’t dared to hope. “This could be a family member, or a friend, or a coworker, or, fuck, even just a study group member. You don’t know that he wouldn’t be interested. And fuck, why wouldn’t he be? You’re everything, kid. Anybody would be lucky to have you and don’t you ever forget it.” Raleigh swallowed around another particularly difficult lump as Yancy continued. “Stop worrying about fixing things for everyone else. We’re doing good. You don’t need to worry about that. And you certainly don’t need to worry about fixing somebody else’s mess. Worry about you and what you want for once.”

The words cut deep. Raleigh hadn’t wanted Yancy thinking he wasn’t doing things for himself. It was still hard to after all the years they’d spent looking after each other and worrying about everything two teenagers shouldn’t have to worry about. He wasn’t sure how to be selfish and he’d been out of the game long enough to not know how to go about turning something into more than flirtation either.

Well, other than being as much of an asshole as another person to get a rise out of them. 

“Rals.” Yancy’s voice dropped softer. “Seriously. We’re good now. You don’t have to fix everybody’s problems. Don’t be afraid to go after something like this.”

“I…” His throat closed around the first word, but Raleigh forced himself to work through it. “Yeah, Yance. I know. Thanks.”

Yancy glanced down at his plate and forked at the food remnants in the same way Raleigh had done a minute ago. And he couldn’t help but add, “Even if the kid is a colossal asshole.”

“Hey! He’s a _hot_ asshole. That counts for something!” Raleigh blustered. 

“Yeah, yeah, kiddo. Pass the bowl back here.”


	2. Chapter 2

His classes picked up in intensity, much to Raleigh’s displeasure, and one midterm the next day and two the day after caused him to cancel his next shift at the store. The owner, a blustering forty-year-old with not shit else going on, was completely understanding considering how much work Raleigh put in to keep the place running. But he couldn’t help taste the bitter tang of disappointment as he glanced up at the clock in the library. Normally, he’d be in the store at this hour. And if the blustering Aussie – Chuck – had given the girl the flowers he could be in at any hour to give Raleigh his thanks.

If he was even the kind of guy to do so. Raleigh cursed himself for thinking along those lines when he realized he’d read the same sentence for the sixth time. He rubbed tired eyes and slammed his hands on the table. The amount of time, effort, and money it had taken to put him through school thus far sent a wash of guilt through him. He couldn’t afford to let some kid he’d only met twice keep him from studying. 

A coffee break was in order, then, and what better place than his favorite coffee shop in the city?

It was off campus but close and provided enough of a walk for Raleigh to stretch the tenseness in his muscles. The gloomy, dark clouds occasionally pouring droplets of rain into the city should have been enough to provide a solid study day but he couldn’t get the thought of not being at the shop out of his head. Stupid Chuck with his stupid distracting Australian accent and stupid blinding dimples.

Raleigh entered the coffee shop and stepped up to give his order. The wildly excited barista Newt, who he’d come to know during the year, took his order in the same enthusiastic manner as always. Raleigh stepped over to the pick-up counter when a hand grabbed for his upper arm.

He barely resisted the urge to throw his assailant when he turned and met not-quite-gray-somewhat-green-eyes sitting above a small smattering of freckles. 

“Hey, mate.”

Raleigh slowed a little and lowered the free arm that was raised in defense. “Uh, hey. Sorry. Didn’t expect to see you here.”

His apology was apparently unneeded as Chuck took his hand back, rolled his shoulder good-naturedly, and said, “’salright, mate. Didn’t mean to surprise you. Just wanted to say thanks for the flowers. She, uh…. Really did appreciate them.”

Everything in Raleigh wanted to ask exactly what she had appreciated about them but he knew it wasn’t really his place to ask. “Uh, yeah. Just glad I could help.”

Chuck clapped him on the shoulder a little harder than necessary. “Makes up for that first cock-up I guess. Listen, I could really use another favor if you’re up for it.”

Raleigh grabbed his coffee. His skin was no longer crawling with unhappiness that he wasn’t at the flower shop now that he’d seen Chuck again but he didn’t want to admit how happy he was at the prospect of insinuating himself further in Chuck’s life. Fuck, his coffee didn’t have anywhere enough Jameson in it for this. “Depends on what you need.”

“Well, you really hit the nail on the head with that last message, mate. Finally got over the bullshit and she warmed back up to me. Warming up is something my personality needs, ya know?” The guy asked as though Raleigh could see exactly what he meant and after only two interactions with Chuck, he had to agree that he could. 

After taking the time to stir a few packets of sugar into his coffee, Raleigh said, “If she’s already warmed back up to you I don’t know what else I can offer with the flowers.”

“Well–” Chuck licked what Raleigh considered perfectly lickable lips. “I need another bouquet that shows how I’m gonna be more, you know…”

Raleigh filled in the banks himself. _One that showed how he was going to be more mature_. Which wouldn’t difficult considering what he knew about flowers. “So basically, you need me to supply you with bouquets that say that you’re grown up because you’re not grown up enough to come out and say it yourself?”

“Bonzer.” Chuck had the audacity to grin at his summation. “Look, obviously I’ll pay for them and since I know you’re the only one making them, I’ll even tip you for doing it. Whaddya say, mate?”

Make bouquets for a handsome stranger to woo his maybe-girlfriend? It was pathetic that he was considering the offer as an excuse to get more chances alone with the guy. Some part of him just wanted the guy to be happy and get what he wanted. And sue him, he wanted the chance to know if those shoulders were as broad as they looked and if those freckles reached his chest. This was better than nothing.

Plus, getting paid was tempting. 

“Fine.” Raleigh tossed his coffee stirrer in the trash. “But no more judging my flower choice.” He daringly poked Chuck’s chest and noted the sturdy wall of muscle his finger met. “I mean it, Chuckles. No more doubting me. And you’re gonna to want to stick with a bouquet every few days, not every day. Nobody wants to be smothered in flowers no matter how many times you fuck things up.”

“Fuck you, Ray. My name’s not Chuckles.” But the ginger gave him a nod of approval and added, “I’ll be back in a few days, then. Thanks.”

Huh. Raleigh hadn’t thought the guy had that word in his vocabulary. With that settled, he turned and headed back toward campus. With any luck, he’d be able to get back to studying now that the mental block had been cleared. 

If the mental image of freckles on Chuck’s chest that had taken its place would go away, that is.

 

 

It wasn’t until the handsome yet jerkish ginger customer came back that Raleigh realized Yancy was right. The swooping sensation in his stomach as Chuck crossed the threshold was definitely disappointment as the customer eyed the newest bouquet appreciatively. 

“Damn, mate, she’s gonna love this one,” he murmured as he ran a hand over the stems with far more care than Raleigh would have ever guessed the man possible of. Chuck shot him a crooked grin before he replied, “Last one was so good it even got my old man off my back for the day about our relationship.”

_Relationship_.

Ouch. 

Raleigh forced a grin he didn’t feel and replied, “Good. That’s what we live for.”

Chuck suddenly frowned his way; maybe he hadn’t been as subtle as he thought. The ginger surprised him the second time that day when he crossed his arms, leaned over the counter, and asked, “You alright, mate?”

“Yeah.” Raleigh scrubbed a hand through his hair and decided to go for deflection. “Why’s your old man on your back?”

The guy rolled his eyes and Raleigh couldn’t help but grin at the other man’s dramatic gesture. “Ever since he introduced Mako and I he’s been all over my back to get along with her. I mean things are better now but in the beginning almost every day was ‘Mako this’ and ‘Mako that’ and ‘why aren’t you moving in with Mako yet’.”

Raleigh swallowed. Geez, he’d never heard of a parent being so adamant about something as serious as moving in so early in a relationship. Then again, he didn’t know what the traditional Australian mating rituals entailed. “Why didn’t you tell him to just fuck off? You seem to have no issue doing that.”

The bird the guy flipped him seemed almost more endearing than serious. “Because… my father and I have always had a rocky relationship. When I moved to the states to get some distance I think he realized we didn’t have the best relationship. Doesn’t help that neither of us can communicate for shit.”

After throwing a pointed glance at the bouquet on the counter between them Raleigh put a hand to his chest and gasped in mock shock. “You?! No way.”

The bird was once again flipped in his direction. “ _Anyway_. The old man followed me over here and tried to re-initiate our relationship. ‘s not as bad now that we’re not living together but the second he caught her trail he was all for making friends. And—” He paused long enough to gesture widely to the flower shop. “—here we are now.”

“Yes, here and now with your widely improving communication skills.” The quip was totally worth it in his opinion even if Chuck smacked his arm a little harder than could be considered friendly. Something about their banter caused a hollow feeling to settle in his chest. In the beginning, Chuck had taken to showing up every few days for his newest deliveries silently. But the past few times something had broken through to the guy and he spent more time talking to Raleigh than he did worrying over the flowers. They got along far better than Raleigh had expected; both were just dick-ish enough to handle the smarminess of the other. In fact, if he weren’t so pointedly ignoring his feelings he’d say they’d get along fantastically as something much more than customer and cashier. “I just find it hard to believe _flower messages_ are working for you.”

Chuck shrugged and played with the stems again. “You’re telling me, mate. What can I say, she likes flowers and it makes my old man happy.”

“What about you? What makes you happy?” 

The thought blurted from Raleigh’s lips before he even thought about the question. Chuck flinched slightly from the counter but calmed himself right down. 

“I, uh. Can’t ask for much more, mate. Good school, good family, good…” The ginger trailed off and shook his head lightly. “How much for the flowers?”

The choice to include flowers professing deep love and adoration, which seemed like such a good idea at the time, now gave Raleigh a burning feeling in his stomach like acid. He fought against the sour expression giving rise and replied, “On the house this time. Wouldn’t feel right charging you since it’s helping with your father and all.”

Chuck wouldn’t even look at him as he replied, “I… Thanks, mate,” and grabbed up the vase to hurry out of the store. 

What the fuck was that? Raleigh rubbed his face. He thought the conversation had been going well up until the end and he was sure it wasn’t enough to make the guy bolt like that. He slammed his textbook back up on the counter and settled in to study.

 

 

“He talked to you about his _daddy issues_?! Rals, the guy is in just as deep as you.”

“Yance, _drop it_. The guy’s not interested in me. And pass the fuckin’ gravy while you’re at it.”

 

 

Oh, sometimes it sucked majorly to be the responsible sibling. Yancy weaved between the tables of people and smiled back at the studying patrons that shot him offended looks. It was a library but it wasn’t as though he was running.

Not quite.

The kid his kid brother was pining over had to be somewhere among the sea of struggling students. After all, how many angry red Aussies that studied every day in the same spot could this university have? He felt way out of his element here; sure, he went to this school but he spent all his days in the practice kitchens far from the library. 

And if neither of those two idiots were going to fix things, well, Yancy would just have to fix things for them. 

Out of the corner of his eye Yancy spotted ginger bedhead clutched by a white-knuckled hand over an otherwise empty table. There he was. Yancy slowed his stride and approached the table quietly. His pelvis bumped the table but the kid didn’t look up. Instead, the guy – Chuck – seemed to focus even harder on the material in front of him. 

“Hey. Chuckles.”

It seemed he struck a nerve already. Chuck slapped the pencil to the tabletop and shot a glare his way. “The fuck did you just say, mate?”

The spooked air behind the anger of those eyes made Yancy grin; if he had to guess, Raleigh had taken to calling the guy the very same whenever he wanted to piss him off.

God, some days Yancy was just so damn proud of that kid.

“Great. Now that I’ve got your attention–” Yancy slid into the chair across from Chuck. 

“You don’t. I’m studying. Fuck off, you bloody drongo.”

A feisty red Aussie, it seemed. Yancy’s grin spread further. Oh, was this kid perfect for Raleigh. It further spurred his actions. “Not a chance in hell, Chuckles. You see, you and I got a problem.”

Chuck finally abandoned his study materials altogether and glanced pleadingly at him. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, mate, and I’ve got an exam coming up that I really can’t afford to do shitty on.”

“I’m Yancy.” He could practically see the gears turning in the kid’s head when he added, “Yancy Becket.”

The light finally clicked on. “Oi, you’re Raleigh’s brother?”

“The one and only.” Yancy paused to study the kid’s expression: hope, urgency, disappointment, embarrassment, all passed the slightly-flushed cheeks. “Now, Chuck, what exactly is it about my brother that makes you want to jerk him around like this for so long? I know the kid’s a bit of a dick sometimes but he really deserves better–”

“Jerk him around?” The incredulous expression threw Yancy for a loop. Chuck rubbed his face and chuckled darkly. “Right. That’s why I’ve been spending God knows how many hours and how much money I don’t have in a flower shop twice a week for the past month. Because _I_ have been jerking _him_ around. You’re fucking hilarious, mate.”

Yancy leaned back in his chair and earned a particularly stern glare from one of the librarians. “I’m – what? He’s not the one with the girlfriend.”

“ _Girlfriend_?” Chuck’s brows shot up toward his hairline. “Who the fuck said anything about a girlfriend?” 

Yancy’s mouth opened, closed, and then opened again. “But… Mako?”

The laugh that tore itself from Chuck’s chest startled several people around them. “Mako’s my fucking sister. Besides, even if she wasn’t she’s kinda missing a certain piece of anatomy I’m rather partial to including in my _activities_ , mate, if you catch my drift.” That gleeful face suddenly fell. “Wait Raleigh thinks that–” Something else finally clicked into place. The kid’s eyes widened. “Fucking hell–” He stood so fast the chair fell behind him, and Yancy was sure they were minutes away from getting thrown out. “Watch my shit, Nancy.”

“It’s Yancy, you fuck!” The older Becket called after Chuck’s retreating back.

“Whatever!”

 

 

The bell over the door rang just as Raleigh was finishing the daily inventory. He sighed and dragged his feet all the way to the front. It was about time for another visit from Chuck, but the gnawing ache of loss had grown so much after his last visit that he wasn’t sure he had it in him to make another bouquet for Chuck and his girl.

Even if he’d promised he would.

“Welcome to – Chuck?!”

The poor guy heaved as he brought himself up to the counter. Sweat beaded across that strong forehead. Jesus, how long had Chuck been running for? Raleigh reached for one of the shop’s towels and tossed it to him. 

“Chuck? Are you alright, man?” Raleigh was actually worried as Chuck held up a hand and struggled for breath. “Sure, yeah, take your time.”

Chuck flipped him the bird but it was a weak gesture at best. “I just – came from Yancy–”

Raleigh groaned. He couldn’t imagine what his brother had said. He’d hoped the elder Becket had grown out of his protective streak but clearly that wasn’t the case. “Whatever he said–”

The ginger cut him off with a much more polite hand gesture. When he finally regained his breath, Chuck met his gaze. “Mate, have you been trying to set me up with Mako this entire fucking time with these fucking flowers?”

“I… yeah?” Raleigh almost recoiled in surprise. That was the whole point of this endeavor. 

Chuck rolled his eyes. “That explains her weird looks toward the end. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted your ass with the meanings. Raleigh, Mako is my _fucking sister_.”

Oh.

He opened his mouth but surprise kept his words in. But – Chuck talking about them moving in, and using the word _relationship_ and all the things he’d said about her. Was she really just–?

Chuck dissolved into breathy laughter and Raleigh couldn’t help but join in. The crinkled corners of the ginger’s eyes were too inviting not to. 

“You’ve been – trying to set me up – with my sister – you wanker!” Chuck gasped between laughs. 

Raleigh should have figured the situation would turn out as ridiculous as this. He recovered after one last solid chuckle and decided enough was enough. “Chuck, d’you want to go out for a drink sometime?”

The question seemed to sober Chuck up a bit. He leaned across the counter, his gaze boring into Raleigh’s far more seriously than the situation called for, in his opinion. “Depends. Were all those flower symbols for me all this time?”

It took a lot for Raleigh not to react to the question. He wondered briefly if Chuck knew some of the meanings; they were far too intimate considering how little they still knew about each other but if Yancy could man up and go for broke, so could he. “Yeah.”

Chuck reached for his collar and hauled him half across the counter. For a moment, Raleigh wondered if he misread the situation again and was in for a serious right hook, but instead Chuck’s lips crashed into his. “Good.” The guy’s face flushed slightly and he glanced at the counter below them. “Cause I can’t afford your brother busting into the library like that again. Wanker was close to getting me thrown out. And why the fuck your parents thought Nancy was a good idea for a guy–”

Raleigh dissolved into laughter again as Chuck’s eyes turned downright mischievous. “ _Nancy_?! Oh for fuck’s sake, how have I never thought of that one before?!”

“Good thing you’ve got me around.” Chuck winked. 

Yeah, good thing indeed. And as Chuck hauled him in for another kiss, Raleigh was already planning the next bouquet, this time just for him.


End file.
